Tonight was date night and I wanted to go see "The Cabin in the Woods". I was warned in advance to not expect the typical college-party-at-the-cabin-goes-horribly-wrong plot line. I honestly wouldn't have expected Joss Whedon to go that route anyway. Reviews and people are all saying to not read reviews etc. "Just go see it!" I watched the trailer. Perhaps that was my own fault. After watching the preview, the movie was more predictable. For the people that were completely surprised by everything you saw in the movie, wow. You clearly weren't paying attention to anything.

One thing I've come to expect from Joss Whedon is his impeccable timing in dialogue. I was not disappointed. I am a jumper. This means that when I attend a scary movie, I jump, and I jump high. There are definitely the jumping aspects to this movie. At one point, I had just taken a drink of water and wasn't expecting the jump. I jumped really high and spilled my water all over myself. That being said, I think I laughed way more than I jumped. The writing was awesome. It's like he took all those little satirical jabs he could, but he was totally inoffensive about it. I was more than pleased with the writing. Now that I think about it, this movie kinda reminded me of that episode of "Supernatural": "Babylon Hollywood".

I'm not going to give away anything in the story in this post, but I am going to say this: The ending was just terrible. Once the credits hit, all I could do was sit there and wonder if that was it. I even waited for a clip after the credits that didn't come. I was so horribly disappointed with this ending. In fact, I have a better ending all thought up.

I saw a list for some awesome sci-fi and fantasy movies coming out this summer. The more recently released ones I am working through… ones like “Thor” and “Priest”. Since I mentioned Thor yesterday, let me tell you about “Priest”. It was released yesterday, Friday the 13th. Now, I love Paul Bettany and was really looking forward to this movie knowing that it would be questionable at best. I mean, the previews hinted at a Matrix+Blade combo. Definitely a “must-see”...

Let me just say that I rather enjoyed this movie and this is why:

The movie turned into a great drinking game idea. Each time the movie strongly reminded me of another movie, I drink. Which movies was I reminded of? Let me tell you. (I love lists)

V for Vendetta – There were orchestrated explosions and Karl Urban might as well have been V. The society and structure of government is also similar.

Pitch Black – Might actually be the same movie only some people can survive the sun.

Pirates of the Caribbean – The scene where Elizabeth is captured by Captain Barbosa and treated to a feast. That scene was almost exactly duplicated. Lucy even takes and conceals the knife from the table.

I Am Legend – The vampires look quite similar. Similar concepts too, an infection like a disease.

Wild Wild West – This definitely might be considered a modern day sci-fi western.

Planet of the Apes – Turns out this movie is totally futuristic with all our cities destroyed, so this is like a post apocalyptic world only instead of apes, there are vampires.

The Book of Eli – There must be a trend with movies with a strong religious connotation. Both of these movies are post-apocalyptic.

Aliens – …except take the aliens and make them vampires and instead of another planet, make it the future.

Underworld – Actually, this might be a sequel… a super futuristic sequel where the lycans are dead.

Let me just be clear, I really enjoyed all the movies I just listed so this was like a mediocre version of the combination of them all. It was entertaining and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again… but not in theaters.

I wish they had further explored the sacrifice required of Paul Bettany’s character to become a Priest as well as what it took to become a Priest. Maybe if they had spent less time wandering around caves and more time exploring the story the move itself would have done better. Also, it was a little presumptuous to leave it wide open for a sequel assuming it would rock the box office.

I went to see Gnomeo & Juliet in Sunday. I saw one preview for it and thought it looked funny. Turns out I was right. The cast was awesome! Maggie Smith, Emily Blunt, Jason Statham, Ozzy Osbourne, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy and Hulk Hogan for the win!

For the record, I was surprised it was rated G, not because I thought it should be rated PG, but because it has been ages since I've actually seen a rated G movie. I was thoroughly impressed. It probably helps that I have the sense of humor of a five year old, that when you put me in a dark room I think no one can hear me laugh, and we had beer. I love the Alamo Drafthouse.

As for the actual story, it was as you would expect it to be... Romeo and Juliet storyline. There were numerous Shakespeare references which made me feel like I was actually using my English degree.

The flamingo might have been my favorite character, but you'll have to see it to know what I mean. Also, the movie was in 3D but it didn't really have to be. It didn't deter, but it really didn't need to be in 3D. So, overall, I will give it 3.5 stars for an excellent cast, hidden Shakespeare references, and just good fun!

I just went to see Flipped with a friend of mine. I had no idea what it was about except for the little he told me. This is what I have to say about the movie:

If you have a margarita and then go to the super early matinée of this movie when the theatre is completely empty, it is really easy to make side comments the whole way through... which we did. The movie wasn't bad, but tequila makes everything a little funnier. So my actual thoughts on the movie without the bias of alcohol? It was a total surprise. Maybe I've become so desensitized everything in movies these days, but this was a good family film. There is a little swearing, but really that's it. I was expecting more drama and more sex and more action. Nope. It was a good family film. I'm not disappointed that those things weren't in the movie, in fact, it made me rethink the movies I've seen recently. I was a little disappointed in how quickly the ending came around, like Rob Reiner got bored and decided to end the movie early.

Overall, I would give this movie 3.5 stars out of 5. Don't think I would see it in theatres, but it's good to watch. I also don't think I'd own it.

Netflix is a dangerous thing. When you rate movies, Netflix recommends movies to you based on your ratings. Maybe I've just rated enough movies, but the recommendations are usually very good. One such movie that just popped up was a James Marsden movie from 2002 (?) called Interstate 60.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of this before! I don't really know how to describe it. It's like a modern day fairy tale. I really like mythology, and that's what got my attention. It starts out with two guys talking at a bar about the lack of mythical beings in American myths. Then another guy joins the conversation saying that this isn't true, America is just too young for these beings to have gotten around enough for people to know about them.

James Marsden's character is living in his father's shadow and just wants an answer to his life. Gary Oldman plays O. W. Grant (One Wish Grant) and he hears Marsden's wish for an answer. Marsden gets sent to deliver a package across the country on Interstate 60, a fictional highway.

I really love how this movie makes you think and question what you think you know about things. It's funny and entertaining, it's original and creative. It's just a good movie. I can't believe I hadn't heard of it.

For the record, these reviews are my personal opinions about the books I volunteer to read. I'm not getting paid by anyone to read or review them. A lot of people charge a penny for their thoughts... mine are free.